Factor analysis of cardiometabolic risk factors clustering in children and adolescents

Research on the clustering and relative importance of the metabolic syndrome components in children and adolescents is scarce. This study was conducted to explore the factor structure of the central metabolic syndrome variables in Jordanian children and adolescents using exploratory factor analysis.

This study included 665 children and adolescents who were identified in a national population-based household survey in Jordan. Their anthropometric and laboratory measurements were obtained. Factor analysis was performed on standardized variables to produce the minimum number of factors that retains as much of the total variance in the original data as possible.

Factor analysis showed that one common factor is not sufficient to underlie metabolic syndrome. Four factors were extracted in the exploratory factor analysis-adiposity factor, blood pressure factor, lipids factor, and blood glucose factor. The cumulative percent of variance accounted for by the four factors together was 78.7% in male children, 86.9% in female children, 82.5% in male adolescents, and 83.4% in female adolescents. The adiposity factor accounted for the largest proportion of the total variance in the four groups.

The factor analysis of cardiovascular risk clustering in Jordanian children and adolescents suggests that multiple factors account for the clustering of the metabolic syndrome components. Obesity accounts for the maximum variance in clustering and appears to be a more powerful correlate of cardiovascular risk in children and adolescents.